Worthy to Receive the Lamb:
Catholics in Political Life and the Reception of Holy Communion

August 4, 2004
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As bishops, we have the obligation to teach and guide the Catholic
Faithful whom we shepherd in the Body of Christ. A fundamental teaching of
our Church is respect for the sacred gift of life. This teaching flows
from the Natural Law and from Divine Revelation.

Life is a gift bestowed upon us by God, a truth underscored by the
commandment: "You shall not kill" (Deut 5: 17 ). The Old Testament also
teaches us that human life in the womb is precious to God: "...I formed
you in the womb..." (Jer 1: 5). The right to life is a value "which no
individual, no majority and no State can ever create, modify or destroy,
but must only acknowledge, respect and promote" (Pope John Paul II,
Evangelium vitae, 71a). A law, therefore, which legitimizes the direct
killing of innocent human beings through abortion is intrinsically unjust,
since it is directly opposed to the natural law, to God's revealed
commandments, and to the consequent right of every individual to possess
life, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

Catholics in political life have the responsibility to exemplify in their
public service the teaching of the Church, and to work for the protection
of all innocent life. There can be no contradiction between the values
bestowed by Baptism and the Catholic Faith, and the public expression of
those values. Catholic public officials who consistently support abortion
on demand are cooperating with evil in a public manner. By supporting
pro-abortion legislation they participate in manifest grave sin, a
condition which excludes them from admission to Holy Communion as long as
they persist in the pro-abortion stance (cf. Canon 915).

Holy Communion is where Catholics meet as a family in Christ, united by a
common faith. Every Catholic is responsible for being properly prepared
for this profound union with Christ. Participation in Holy Communion
requires certain dispositions on the part of the communicant, namely,
perseverance in the life of grace, and communion in the faith of the
Church, in the sacraments, and in the hierarchical order of the Church
(Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 35-38).

The Church also recognizes that there is a manifest lack of a proper
disposition for Holy Communion in those whose outward conduct is
"seriously, clearly, and steadfastly contrary" to the Church's moral
teaching (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 37b). A manifest lack of proper
disposition for Holy Communion is found to be present in those who
consistently support pro-abortion legislation. Because support for
pro-abortion legislation is gravely sinful, such persons should not be
admitted to Holy Communion.

We also take this opportunity to address all Catholics whose beliefs and
conduct do not correspond to the Gospel and to Church teaching. To receive
the great gift of God
— the
Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ
— we
must approach Holy Communion free from mortal sin. Those who are conscious
of being in a state of grave sin should avail themselves of the Sacrament
of Reconciliation before coming to Holy Communion. To partake of the
Eucharist is to partake of Christ Himself, and to enter into sacramental
communion with our Lord we must all be properly disposed.

Because of the influence that Catholics in public life have on the conduct
of our daily lives and on the formation of our nation's future, we declare
that Catholics serving in public life espousing positions contrary to the
teaching of the Church on the sanctity and inviolability of human life,
especially those running for or elected to public office, are not to be
admitted to Holy Communion in any Catholic church within our
jurisdictions: the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the Dioceses of Charleston and
Charlotte. Only after reconciliation with the Church has occurred, with
the knowledge and consent of the local bishop, and public disavowal of
former support for procured abortion, will the individual be permitted to
approach the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

We undertake this action to safeguard the sacred dignity of the Most Holy
Sacrament of the Altar, to reassure the faithful, and to save sinners.